Meng Chew Hin Teochew and Hotpot Restaurant,
59, Jalan Walter Grenier,
off Jalan Imbi, Kuala Lumpur.
Tel: 03-2143 3322
Business hours: 6pm to 4am (Tuesday to Sunday)
Non-halal.
Simple yet tasty Teochew dishes in the heart of the city.
HIDDEN in the middle of town is a gem of a restaurant called Meng Chew Hin that serves simple yet luxurious Chinese cuisine with emphasis on Teochew dishes.
From the word go, you know that your meal will be a satisfying one thanks to the mixture of spicy and savoury flavours, as Teochew food is known for.
The restaurant features a typical Chinese food establishment decor and feel.
Restaurant manager Raymond Seet said Teochew people lived mainly along coastal areas, which was why their cuisine consisted of a lot of seafood.
Each dish here is prepared with pride, having just the right amount of seasoning and condiments so as not to drown the dish in artificial flavours.
The lip-smacking dining experience will make you want to return for more. Although the menu features some 45 dishes, you will find that the kitchen prepares much more than that by simply asking your waiter.
This simple porridge, a hallmark of teochew food, is certainly not plain.
Porridge, one of the most well-known Teochew food, is also served here but on a grander scale with large prawns and other seafood. Steamed rice is also available.
Personally, having the latter with one of the savoury dishes such as the chai po (preserved turnip) fish head makes for a complete meal.
Another favourite is the sei tai tin wong (four heavenly kings), which is brinjal, lady’s finger, petai and snake gourd stir-fried together to ensure the vegetables have that perfect crunch.
The four heavenly kings.
Like any dish here, this stir-fry dish has turned luxe with prawns added to the dish.
Another speciality here is the salt-baked chicken, tau cheong (salted and aged soy beans) pomfret and the marinated mix plate featuring imported goose, some organ parts, egg and tofu that comes with a thick dipping sauce.
I also discovered a new appreciation for cockles (something I have never liked thanks to a heavy fishy and muddy scent). It tasted fresh and succulent due to a light hand at cooking and a generous doling of a special spicy sauce that whets the appetite.
Teochew-style pomfret.
End the day with interesting desserts such as the yam and pumpkin paste (top pic) which is thick and creamy.
The restaurant also offers fish scale collagen jelly sweetened with honey.
The fish scale collagen jelly sweetened with honey.
It is a delicacy where deep-sea fish scales are boiled for its collagen that jellifies in cold temperature and quickly becomes liquid in room temperature.
Some of the better dishes here are seasonally priced while others feature premium prices for obvious reasons, so be prepared to dig deep into your wallet if you want to dine on the sumptuous and worthwhile dishes here.
This is the writer’s personal observation and is not an endorsement by Star Metro.
